"Identity theft" refers to a crime in which the perpetrator uses personally identifying information such as a credit card number or Social Security number to assume someone else's identity to commit fraud or other crimes.
Often the victim is left with bills for items not purchased, poor credit records, and even (rarely) arrests for crimes committed by someone else. It can take months
of work and thousands of dollars to repair the damage caused by identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that Nevada is number 2 in the nation in reported identity thefts per capita.

If your personal identifying information has been compromised but not yet misused, you should watch for signs of identity theft.
For information on detectiing identity theft see the FTC Detect Identity Theft page.